Ding Dong Shares How Elephant Man, Voicemail And Bogle Impacted His Career

There’s a kind of congeniality ingrained in Ding Dong’s brand. His music is mostly family-friendly, his image is beloved by corporate giants, and you rarely hear his name attached to any controversy. Though there’s an undeniable ease about his brand, there was nothing easy or meteoric about his journey.

In a recent online chat with DJ/producer Kool Face, the dancer-cum-deejay, whose real name is Kemar Ottey, expressed gratitude to those who helped him actualize his dreams of celebrity and respect. Elephant Man, the millennium pioneer of dancing hits, topped the list.

“Elephant Man buss a whole heap of dancers… I give Ele him ratings…mi look pon Ele as somebody weh build the business and him know dat too,” Ding Dong said. “The first time my name call in a song is Elephant Man…dem time when Ele a call yuh name in a song a diamond enuh.”

The ‘Energy God’ has name-dropped the Ravers Clavers principal in several songs, including Summer Bounce , Sweep , and even included him in his Nuh Linga video.

The two also recorded Dip Again in 2008.

Ding Dong used his own experience to highlight a change in times, as he said dancers then weren’t financially demanding of artistes, they just wanted a platform.

“Dis is the thing weh we a try teach likkle youth…” he started. “Yuh see back then when Ele a call my name in a song, weh yaa tell mi bout money? A my name dis deh pon every radio enuh. So it’s like yaa go somewhere go look a work, and a man give yuh a work…it’s how smart you work determines how much money you a go get…because him done do weh him fi do already. So mi structure myself, format myself fi try mek money so mi nuh need you fi help mi mek money cause yuh do weh yuh supposed to do.”

His mindset was the same when it came to Voicemail, another dancehall outfit that helped boost his career. The crew was a trio at the time, comprising Kevin Blair, O’Neil Edwards, and Craig Jackson. Edwards died in 2010 after being shot multiple times.

“Mi usually go pon the road wid Voicemail too…and ask dem if mi ever ask dem fi a dollar anywhere we go,” said Ding Dong.

“My mindset was way bigger than that. A two time mi get turned down at (the United States) Embassy before mi finally get through and when mi get through a wid Craig, Kevin and O’Neil… Don’t think true you see Ding Dong deh ya so unno feel Ding never go through weh unno a go through…it probably worse. You don’t know weh I have to do over the years fi structure myself.”

Also, playing a hand in Ding Dong’s career was late dancer Gerald ‘Bogle‘ Levy, but this time the impact was on his personality.

“Bogle was so people-friendly but not just wid we alone inna di streets, mi a tell yuh top name people inna di industry…” he said. “When mi stand up and watch Wacky (Levy), every big, top name come link Wacky, and him can walk up to them and talk to them so inna my head as a likkle youth mi a seh weh da man ya do fi mek dem people ya rate him so…cause mi waan dem rate mi like how dem rate him cause dem man deh control the playlist dem inna dancehall.

“Mi neva see him and seh mi waan learn a dance yet, a dat mi waan learn. How everybody rate him so…a dem ting deh mi tek and try fi study…di moment you do dat, certain things yuh nah fi kill up yourself fah.”

He started his recording career as a featured act on Voicemail’s 2004 single Ready to Party , then Wacky Dip , a tribute to Levy after he was killed in 2005.

Ding Dong earned his first solo hit in 2006 with Badman Forward, Badman Pull Up , produced by Ricky Blaze. Kool Face shared that he thought the song was trash when he heard it, and was surprised at its success. The same can be said for selector Richie Feelings when he heard Ding Dong’s Holiday, which features Chevaughn.

“Richie Feelings come link mi and when him listen to the song…him seh, ‘Ding a mash yuh come fi mash up music enuh. Weh yuh nuh lowe dis man, dis nuh good Ding’…and memba Richie Feelings was the big selector at Stone Love at the time. When Richie Feelings tell me seh da song ya nuh good, if mi never believe inna myself mi dash it weh.”

Ding Dong has managed to stay consistent with a slew of dancing hits, including Syvah , Fling , Lebeh Lebeh, and Cha Cha Bwoy .